Inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade sat in heavy silence, her gaze fixed on the live broadcast. Her heart ached. The entire village already knew about Sasuke's defection. There was no hiding it now, and frankly, there was nothing to be proud of.
The other four Great Ninja Villages, meanwhile, could barely contain their amusement. After all, who wouldn't gloat at the fall of a rival? Especially when the traitor in question was Sasuke Uchiha, the last direct heir of the Uchiha clan.
But who could possibly know the answer to the System's question?
Konoha's information lockdown was far from perfect. Even many within the Leaf had only fragments of Sasuke's past. As a child, he had grown up under the scorching shadow of his brother's brilliance. Itachi had cleared the Chūnin Exams solo at ten. Sasuke, by comparison, had been barely noticed during the golden years of Shisui and Itachi. A lonely, often-overlooked child from a cursed clan. Who would have really paid attention?
This dilemma weighed heavily on Konoha's leadership. Only a few of Sasuke's peers had seen glimpses of his inner world. Even parents, despite knowing clan secrets, could not guess what truly lay in the boy's heart.
With no options left, Shikaku Nara quickly opened the emergency group chat.
[Shikaku Nara]: Shikamaru, have you learned anything about Sasuke?
[Shikamaru Nara]: I'm not completely sure, but it must be something before the Uchiha massacre.
[Shikaku Nara]: You idiot. Thanks for stating the most obvious thing imaginable.
[Yoshino Nara]: Who exactly do you think you're calling an idiot?
[Shikaku Nara]: ...wrong window.
[Yoshino Nara]: What's wrong with you?
[Shikaku Nara]: Everything.
[Yoshino Nara]: Watch your tone.
[Shikamaru Nara]: Troublesome...
[Choji Akimichi]: Shikaku, your family is built different.
[Ino Yamanaka]: I have no comment.
[Shikaku Nara]: Ahem. Enough, all of you. What I meant was, Sasuke's dream must have been to live happily with his parents. That's one possibility at least.
[Ino Yamanaka]: But that's not what you just said...
At that moment, Choji collapsed from exhaustion. He had mistaken his last ration pill for something dangerous, unaware it was actually the Akimichi Clan's Butterfly Expansion Pill. In the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, he was the butterfly not Ino.
[Shikaku Nara]: Ino, dear, maybe take a breather while I get us back on track.
The entire shinobi world, especially the other Kage, stared in disbelief at Konoha's chaotic family drama unfolding live.
[Fourth Raikage Darui]: Man, Konoha really breeds top-tier talent. First Shisui disappears, then Itachi turns rogue, and now his little brother defects too.
[Ōnoki]: He's not wrong. Konoha's clearly in decline.
[Mei Terumi]: If the Mist were in a stronger position, we'd have conquered Konoha by now.
[Fourth Raikage Darui]: Please. Your village is still cleaning out deadwood. How many elders do you have left?
[Ōnoki]: If we're ranking strength, Hidden Stone easily takes the crown. Don't you agree?
[Tsunade]: Konoha may be in a slump, but that doesn't give you the right to mock us so casually.
[Chiyo]: With the Kazekage position still vacant, I'll speak for the Sand. Despite our history, the Sand stands with Konoha. Let's all take a breath.
[Fourth Raikage Darui]: Enough small talk. What about the System's question?
[Ōnoki]: Since Konoha claims Sasuke's dream predates the massacre, it must be about his parents.
System Notification: Judging Ōnoki's answer… Sasuke's dream was to live with his parents.System: Incorrect.Punishment: Send a voice message in a loli voice saying, "I bought a little pinwheel, tee-hee whoosh ah-aba…"
Ōnoki was stunned. That couldn't be real, right?
System: Due to Ōnoki's refusal, punishment will now be enforced by System authority.
Moments later, a squeaky, high-pitched voice echoed from every speaker across the ninja world.
It was Ōnoki's voice. The message played aloud without mercy.
Raikage Darui instantly froze. Mizukage Mei stopped breathing. Tsunade nearly choked on her sake. Shinobi all across the Land of Fire, Lightning, Wind, and Water burst into stunned silence. Even Ōnoki's granddaughter looked at him with horrified disbelief.
[Fourth Raikage Darui]: Old man, I had important business to attend to. I was absolutely not laughing.
[Mei Terumi]: Same here. I received urgent reports. Definitely not laughing.
[Tsunade]: My team just secured a hideout. I got busy. No time for laughter, obviously.
[Chiyo]: At my age, I don't laugh without pain. I was simply informed Gaara and Rock Lee completed their mission.
Ōnoki remained dead silent, his expression destroyed.
[Kakashi Hatake]: Ahem. Aren't we veering way off topic?
[Shikaku Nara]: Right. Maybe... a bit.
[Tsunade]: Kakashi, you were Sasuke's sensei. You should know him best. Don't just stand there, think!
Elsewhere, Kakashi, racing through the forest with Pakura, slipped and fell directly into a thorny bush.
[Tsunade]: Kakashi? If Jiraiya's new book sells out and you miss it, I swear I'll buy every last copy just to spite you.
[Kakashi Hatake]: Fine. If Sasuke's dream wasn't his parents... then it had to be his brother. His dream was to stay with his brother forever.
System Notification: Judging Kakashi Hatake's answer… Sasuke's dream was to stay with his brother.System: Correct.Reward: One-time Tsukuyomi Illusion Card has been granted.
[Tsunade]: Wow... I honestly didn't expect you to get it right.
[Kakashi Hatake]: ...???
Even Kakashi was caught off guard. He had only taken a wild guess.
That Sasuke kid...
He was far more complicated than anyone had thought.
End of Chapter 2